Connecting a Server

import { Steps, Aside, Tabs, TabItem } from ‘@astrojs/starlight/components’;

Deploy Monkey connects to your server via SSH to manage Docker containers. You can bring your own server or provision a new one through a cloud provider.

Two Ways to Add a Server

Connect any Linux VPS you already have. You provide one-time SSH credentials — Deploy Monkey installs its own managed key and never stores your credentials.

Works with any provider: Hetzner, DigitalOcean, AWS Lightsail, Linode, OVH, or any VPS with SSH access.

Create a new VPS directly from Deploy Monkey. Connect your Vultr account, choose a region and plan, and the server is provisioned and configured automatically.

Requirements: A Vultr account with a Personal Access Token (PAT).

Server Requirements

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
OS	Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
RAM	2 GB	4 GB+
CPU	1 vCPU	2 vCPU+
Disk	20 GB	40 GB+ SSD
Network	Public IPv4	Public IPv4

For a single Odoo instance with light usage, 2 GB RAM is sufficient. For production with multiple instances, start with 4 GB.

Option A: Add an Existing Server via SSH

1. Go to Servers — In the Deploy Monkey dashboard, click “Add Server” and select SSH / Manual.

2. Enter server details — Provide a display name, the server’s public IP address, SSH port (default 22), and username (default root).

3. Provide one-time credentials — Enter either your SSH private key or password. These are used only for the initial connection to install Deploy Monkey’s managed key — they are never stored.

4. Automatic key setup — Deploy Monkey generates an Ed25519 SSH keypair, installs the public key on your server, and verifies the new key works. Your credentials are discarded immediately.

5. Server Setup Wizard — The page transitions to a 2-step wizard:

   • Step 1 (Connect): Already complete — your server is connected.
   • Step 2 (Setup): Click “Start Setup” to install Docker, Nginx, security hardening, and system optimization (2-5 minutes).

6. Ready — Your server appears as “Active” in the dashboard and is ready for Odoo deployments.

Option B: Provision a New Vultr Server

1. Go to Servers — Click “Add Server” and select Vultr.

2. Connect your Vultr account — Enter your Personal Access Token (PAT). To get one:

   • Go to Vultr API Settings
   • Click Enable API if not already enabled
   • Copy your Personal Access Token
   • Under Access Control, allow your IPv4 and IPv6 addresses

3. Configure your server — Choose a region and plan size. All servers are provisioned with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

4. Create — Deploy Monkey creates the VPS via Vultr’s API and generates a managed SSH keypair.

5. Wait for provisioning — The Setup Wizard shows Step 1 (Connect) with a progress indicator while the Vultr server boots and becomes SSH-ready (1-3 minutes).

6. Automatic setup — Once the server is ready, Step 2 (Setup) begins. Docker, Nginx, security hardening, and system optimization are installed automatically.

7. Ready — Your server appears as “Active” and is ready for deployments.

SSH Key Management

Deploy Monkey uses managed Ed25519 SSH keys:

• A unique keypair is generated per server
• The private key is encrypted at rest using Fernet encryption
• Your one-time credentials are never stored
• Keys can be regenerated from the server settings page (two-phase rotation — new key installed and verified before old key is removed)

Deploy Monkey requires root access for the initial setup to install Docker and configure the system. After setup, a dedicated `deploymonkey` user is created for ongoing management.

What the Setup Wizard Installs

The Server Setup Wizard runs 5 steps via SSH:

Step	What it does
Update System Packages	Installs essential packages (curl, wget, git, htop, jq), creates deploymonkey system user and /opt/deploymonkey directory structure
Install Docker & Compose	Installs Docker CE and Docker Compose plugin, enables the daemon, adds deploymonkey to the docker group
Install & Configure Nginx	Installs Nginx, creates proxy defaults config with timeouts, forwarded headers, and 200M upload limit
Security Hardening	Configures UFW firewall (SSH port + 80 + 443 only), installs fail2ban with sshd jail, hardens SSH config (no password auth, prohibit root login, no X11 forwarding)
System Optimization	Creates swap file if RAM < 4GB, tunes kernel parameters (swappiness, connection limits, file descriptors), configures Docker log rotation (10MB max, 3 files)

Each step shows live progress — you can see exactly which step is running, which are complete, and which are pending.

Setup options:

• Skip: Skip the setup entirely if your server is already configured
• Cancel: Cancel a running setup at the next step boundary
• Retry: Retry if a step fails (e.g. network timeout during package installation)

Firewall & Ports

The setup wizard configures UFW to allow only these ports:

Port	Protocol	Purpose
SSH port	TCP	SSH access (default 22, reads from server config)
80	TCP	HTTP
443	TCP	HTTPS

All other incoming traffic is denied by default.

If you use a non-standard SSH port, Deploy Monkey reads it from your server config and opens the correct port in UFW automatically.

Server Deletion

• SSH servers: Removing from Deploy Monkey only deletes the DM record. Your server is not affected.
• Vultr servers: You can choose to detach (remove from DM only) or destroy (delete the VPS via Vultr API).

Troubleshooting

Connection Failed

• Verify the IP address is correct and the server is running
• Check that the SSH port is open in your cloud provider’s firewall
• Ensure SSH is enabled: sudo systemctl status sshd
• Make sure root login is allowed (at least PermitRootLogin prohibit-password)

Setup Failed

• Check that the server meets minimum requirements (2 GB RAM, Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+)
• Ensure the server has internet access for downloading packages
• Try running apt update manually to check for package manager issues
• Use the “Retry Setup” button — the setup wizard is idempotent (safe to re-run)

Setup Appears Stuck

• If a step has been running for more than 15 minutes, it will be marked as stale
• You can retry setup — it starts a fresh run
• Common cause: slow package mirrors or network timeouts